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The Difference Between the Trinity and Cambridge Exams

¿Cambridge or Trinity?

There are many different organizations that issue official English exams, and each organization offers many levels and specializations. The two most popular organizing entities are Cambridge University and Trinity College. Both of these are educational institutions with headquarters located in the south of England. Therefore, the English in both Cambridge’s exams and Trinity’s exams is primarily British English.

In this article, we are going to focus on the differences between the Cambridge exams and the Trinity exams. We will cover other official English exams in later blog entries.

Cambridge and Trinity: what’s the same?

First of all, it’s important to note that both type of exams are rigorous and officially recognized in many countries all over the world. Certificates from both are equally valid.

Cambridge and Trinity: what’s different?

Having said that, there are some differences that may lead you to choose one exam over the other. Before we explore those differences, let’s look at what levels each exam offers.

Cambridge

Cambridge exam certificates are accepted by more than 20,000 companies and educational institutions in 130 countries.

Cambridge offers a range of exams for children at the pre-A1, A1, and A2 levels (Starters, Movers, and Flyers, respectively). However, as our focus here is on adult exams, we will skip an in-depth discussion of those exams.

For adult learners, Cambridge offers the following General English exams:

Exam

Level

Sections

Length

Key (KET)

A2

Reading and Writing, Listening, Speaking

About 2 hours

Preliminary (PET)

B1

Reading and Writing, Listening, Speaking

About 2 hours and 20 minutes

First (FCE)

B2

Reading and Use of English, Writing, Listening, Speaking

About 3 hours and 30 minutes

Advanced (CAE)

C1

Reading and Use of English, Writing, Listening, Speaking

About 4 hours

Proficiency (CPE)

C2

Reading and Use of English, Writing, Listening, Speaking

About 4 hours

Additionally, Cambridge offers a suite of three Business English Certificates at the B1, B2, and C1 levels, as well as exams specific to Legal English and Financial English.